Our story

This project was the fruit of the reflection of some villagers of Malendi, a village located in the district of Iringa. The objective of this reflection was to set up a system to ensure sustainable resources for the village orphanage through agriculture.

 

It was a question of setting up a virtuous system which consists of acquiring agricultural land and transferring the profits from the sale of the production to the village orphanage, thus ensuring them more autonomy in the long term. But despite the audacity and relevance of this beautiful idea, the lack of financial means kept it in a state of chrysalis.

In January 2020, a decisive meeting took place between one of these villagers, Theophil, and a couple of French tourists, Catherine and Christophe, who were sensitive to the issue of the well-being of disadvantaged children. The significant gap between the comfortable lifestyles of these French citizens and the degraded situation of the orphanages of the region was decisive: we owed it to ourselves, together, to assist them and to accompany the implementation of the virtuous project of these villagers.

 

With time, a relationship of trust was built between the two co-directors, Theophil and Catherine, in mutual respect and they learned to know each other better and to enrich themselves with their cultural differences.

Theophil is one of those inhabitants of Malendi for whom poverty is not a fatality. He is a man of initiative, an experienced guide and a member of the management team of a high-quality tourist establishment; father of a family of 3 children, he knows well the life in the orphanage for having stayed there for several years since the age of 10 with his young brother then he continued to support it with some villagers. He is a responsible and generous man, committed to the fight against poverty and attached to the values of humanity.

Catherine has dedicated her career as a social worker and then as a hospital executive in childcare and disability care structures. She raised her two children and has dedicated herself to helping others. Fatherless since childhood, she wished to commit herself to supporting orphans. She is a dynamic and committed woman, humanist, who likes to face new challenges.

This meeting was decisive and a bond of sympathy carried us towards a common project: the metamorphosis took place and the chrysalis became a butterfly that took flight towards an extraordinary human adventure...

Together, they first acquired an industrial maize flour mill to help the village community meet its needs and, at the same time, they supported orphanages in the district by purchasing basic necessities.

 

Together, they formalized these actions by creating an NGO “BKF, Lebao’s Kids Foundation” registered in Tanzania in August 2020 and then by creating a French association of the same name.

In one year, BKF has carried out the following actions :

  • Opening of a therapeutic day-care centre with a capacity of 40 children with disabilities and recruitment of specialized professionals.
  • Acquisition of cultivated land with the aim, on the one hand, of training young girls in agricultural practices to contribute to their autonomy and, on the other hand, of obtaining profits from the sale of products to meet the NGO’s child support missions. The farm workers have been trained in organic farming. At the same time, a fish farming activity was set up for sale for the benefit of the NGO.
  • Construction of a house for a farm worker and his family.
  • Sending 16 tons of baby formula in partnership with MODILAC to support orphanages.

The NGO is very dynamic and many ideas and projects are being studied or implemented. In order to guarantee the sustainability of the organization and its autonomy of operation, it will be necessary to find a balance in the long term between income from commercial activities and expenses linked to the overall activity of the NGO.